Types of human temperament and their brief psychological characteristics. Rigidity and plasticity. These properties of temperament can indicate how skillfully a person can adapt to external influences of the social environment

Man has been an object of study since time immemorial. It is worth noting that the first attempt at creation was to identify four main types of temperament. And such ancient scientists and philosophers as Galena and Hippocrates also had a hand in this. What types of temperament are there, a brief description of them and everything a person needs to know about it will be discussed further in the text.

Terminology, definition of concepts

Initially, you need to find out what exactly we are talking about. It is important to clarify that terms such as “character” and “types of temperament” should not be confused. They have completely different meanings. Temperament cannot characterize the content of a person (beliefs, views, worldview); it is a certain dynamic side.

So, what is the totality of those characteristics of a person that characterize his emotional side, i.e. behavior and mental activity. If we approach the issue from a physiological point of view, then temperament is determined by a special type of higher nervous activity (HNA).

Before considering the different types of temperament, it is necessary to note what is not included:

Character.
Capabilities.

Temperament is the basis for the development of a person’s character; it has various effects on the way an individual communicates and behaves.

What exactly depends on a person’s temperament

It should also be noted that there are a number of indicators that directly depend on a certain type of human temperament. Let's look at them.

Intensity mental processes(emotionality, volitional characteristics).
The speed of occurrence of various mental processes (pace of perception, thinking, time of concentration on one activity).
Control of activity, its evaluation.
Direction of activity (extrovert, introvert).
Disciplinary and behavioral interventions.

Types of temperament: brief description

IN modern science There are four main types of temperament: phlegmatic and melancholic. And they are all significantly different from each other. Types of temperament can be briefly characterized by a person’s special reaction to an obstacle that accidentally appears in his path.

So, a choleric person will sweep this obstacle out of his way very quickly and without braking. The sanguine person will think about how best to get around this obstacle. Phlegmatic people most often do not notice various obstacles at all. But melancholic people simply stop in front of obstacles and cannot move on.

A little about choleric people

Now I would like to separately consider all of the above types. After all, they are significantly different from each other. The choleric temperament type will be studied first.

Initially, it should be noted that this word comes from the Greek “chole”, which means “red-yellow bile”. Such people are not restrained in their emotions, they are active, energetic, and impetuous.

Positive aspects of the character of choleric people

The type has both its positive and negative qualities. Let's consider the advantages first.

Cholerics are straightforward and decisive. They always know what to do in a certain situation.
These people are fast, agile, the work in their hands is simply in full swing.
Representatives of this type of temperament take on new business without problems or fear. They do everything quickly and overcome various obstacles without difficulty.
Cholerics love to argue and prove that they are right.
The facial expressions of such people are expressive. As they say, it’s all written on their faces.
The speech of such people is lively and emotional. They can complement it with various movements of the hands and body.
Feelings in choleric people manifest themselves very quickly, they are always bright and emotionally charged.
Choleric people almost never take offense and do not remember insults.
Such a person falls asleep and wakes up quickly. Sleeps soundly.

Disadvantages of choleric temperament

The speed of a choleric person often turns into haste.
Movements are sharp, impetuous, often unbalanced and unrestrained.
Cholerics clearly lack patience.
Straightforwardness can sometimes play its negative role. People are very often offended by the statements of choleric people.
Individuals with this type of temperament often provoke various kinds of conflict situations.
Cholerics are accustomed to working in spurts. A sharp rise is replaced by a decline in activity. And so on in a circle.
These are people who are not afraid to take risks. That is why they often find themselves in uncomfortable situations.
Cholerics are superficial. They don't like to delve into the essence of the problem.
Prone to mood swings.
Such people do not tolerate the mistakes of others.

Recommendation: people with a choleric character type need to learn to restrain themselves. To do this, before making a decision or wanting to speak out, you should try to count to ten. This will help you calm down and do everything right in a certain situation.

Who are phlegmatic people?

What exactly is special and interesting about the phlegmatic temperament type? So, initially it should be noted that this word comes from the Greek “phlegm”, i.e. "slime". These people are reliable, diligent, peaceful, thoughtful and quiet.

Advantages, positive aspects of phlegmatic people

What is good about the phlegmatic temperament type?

First of all, these are calm, reasonable and balanced people. They have self-control in any, even conflict and controversial situation.
Such people are consistent in their actions. They always bring everything they start to its logical conclusion.
Their speech is measured and calm. There are no unnecessary movements or pronounced expressions. Such people talk little.
They adhere to consistency in their work and do not like to deviate from order.
Constant not only in relationships, but also in interests. These are most often monogamous. Their feelings are deep, but carefully hidden from surrounding eyes.
These are reliable, unforgiving people who are very difficult to anger.

Negative sides of phlegmatic people

We continue to consider types of temperament. a brief description of negative aspects, i.e. The disadvantages of phlegmatic people are as follows:

They react poorly to external stimuli, so they are quite slow to accept new circumstances.
Such people are unemotional. Sometimes it is impossible to understand what exactly is going on in their soul.
Turns on very slowly new job, and also switch from one thing to another.
It is quite difficult to adapt to a new environment. It is not easy to meet new people.
It is worth noting that in the lives of phlegmatic people there are quite a lot of patterns and stereotypes that they strictly follow.

Advice for phlegmatic people: you need to develop such missing qualities as activity and mobility.

Sanguine - who is he?

What is interesting about the sanguine temperament type? It is also important to consider the origins of this term. Translated from Latin, "sangvis" means "blood." Such people are generally self-possessed, sociable, balanced and practical. Positive aspects of sanguine people:

Their mood is mostly good. But it can change dramatically.
All feelings for such people arise very quickly. However, they do not differ in depth.
Troubles and failures are experienced without any problems, quite easily.
Endurance and performance are at a high level.
They make new acquaintances without any problems. When communicating with new people they do not experience discomfort, inconvenience, or fear.
Such people restrain their emotions even in the most difficult situations. They have an excellent sense of self-control.
Speech is loud, hasty, but distinct. Facial expressions and gestures are bright and expressed.
These are good organizers. They are persistent in their activities and bring all matters to their logical conclusion.

Disadvantages of this type of temperament

Considering the characteristics of temperament types, it should be noted that sanguine people also have their negative sides:

Tend to not finish things. However, this is only true if interest in the activity is lost.
Sanguine people do not accept monotonous work.
Such people often overestimate themselves and their capabilities.
These are people who quickly change hobbies. This applies to both interests and personal life.
When making decisions, such individuals can be hasty and rash.
The mood of sanguine people is unstable and prone to change.

Advice to such people: to achieve good results, they should not waste their time on trifles. It is also advisable to develop perseverance and accuracy.

Who are melancholic people?

It's finally time to look at the last type of temperament. Melancholic - what is he like? So, the term itself comes from the Greek “meline chole”, which means “black bile”. Such people are generally unsociable, withdrawn, anxious and often gloomy. Let's consider their advantages:

Melancholic people are sensitive. However, this can also apply to temperament type deficiencies.
Such people place high demands on themselves, which forces them to strive for the best.
They are tactful and reserved.
Melancholic people have a great sense of other people and their mood.
The emotions of such people are strong, deep, vivid, constant.
They work calmly and productively. However, only in a familiar environment.

Disadvantages of melancholic people

So, let's find out the negative sides of this type temperament.

Again, increased sensitivity and emotionality come to the fore.
Such people endure insults very hard, and if they get upset, it lasts for a long time.
Melancholic people in most cases are shy, shy, and not inclined to communicate.
These are people who rarely laugh. Basically they are pessimistic.
They don’t like anything new and take a long time to adapt to a new team. Change for them is something terrible and difficult.
They need to take breaks while working, as they are prone to fatigue.
Their speech is quiet and weak. Facial expressions and gestures are practically absent.
These are tearful, whiny people.
In most cases, melancholic people are fearful, anxious and withdrawn.
In difficult moments, such people tend to get lost; they often give up in front of obstacles, not trying to get around them or get them out of the way.

Recommendations for melancholic people: for normal life, you need to overcome shyness. To do this, you need to try to take part in various events as often as possible. You also need to make acquaintances and communicate more. It is also very important for such people to constantly improve their self-esteem.

Main components

Definitely worth considering psychological types temperament, i.e. those constituent moments on the basis of which this division occurs. So, these are the following nuances:

Sensitivity. This is the amount of external forces that is necessary to produce a reaction.
Reactivity. This is the level of reaction exhibited.
Activity. It's the same energy.
Rigidity and plasticity. This is a certain degree of adaptability to various kinds of external stimuli.
Rate of reaction. This is a special course of reactions and various mental processes (speed of speech, etc.).
Introversion or extroversion.
Emotional excitability.

It is these properties that made it possible to identify four main types of temperament that can be inherent in a person.

A few words about children

It is worth noting that there is absolutely no point in separately considering the types of temperament of children. After all, they are the same as described above. However, it must be clarified that as you grow older, the type of temperament may change. In childhood, one type may predominate; in adulthood, a completely different type may predominate. Most often, cardinal changes do not occur. So the temperament types of children are the same as those of adults. Babies can also be choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic. However, it is the type of upbringing that is important here. So, for children of different temperaments you need to look for completely different approach. After all, their level of understanding and perception of information is significantly different.

About the purity of types

It is imperative to clarify that there are few people who have one clear type of temperament. Basically it's a tandem of two various types. One of them will be the leader, i.e. more thorough. The other one is additional. Scientists also say that every person contains traits of all four types of temperament. But their concentration is completely different.

Finding out your type

Determination of the type of temperament occurs on the basis of various tests and techniques. It must be said that today there are a lot of them. So, this is a questionnaire that contains a certain number of extremely simple questions. Their goal is to understand exactly how a person reacts to a particular situation.

When taking such tests, it is recommended to give quick and clear answers. There is no need to think about what to say or what to choose. We must act depending on the emotions that arise first. You need to remember: there are no right or wrong questions in such questionnaires. There is no good or bad answer here.

Why, in fact, do you need to know your type of temperament? Everything is simple here: in order to understand your strengths and weak sides for further work on your “I”. Also this necessary knowledge in the event that you have to communicate with by different people. So, you need to remember that you cannot demand speed in completing tasks from a melancholic person, and calmness from a choleric person.

Tests

As mentioned above, the determination of the type of temperament occurs through various questionnaires.

Rusalov test. It makes it possible to determine the dynamic properties of a personality. It contains 150 questions. You need to answer quickly, without hesitation.
Belov's test. In this case, the person will be presented with 4 cards one by one. There will be written 20 properties that may be characteristic of a certain person. In each of them, a person must note what is characteristic of him.
But still the most popular is the Eysenck test. A person is asked 100 different questions that reflect a certain manner of behavior or reaction to a particular situation. If the statement, in the opinion of the subject, is true, he puts a plus, but if it is false, he puts a minus.
Using the Smirnov questionnaire, polar character traits can be determined. For example, excitability and balance, extroversion and introversion, etc.

Any person wants to better understand his essence, to find out what he is.

To do this, you can find out about types of temperament and their psychological characteristics.

What is temperament?

Temperament- these are the individual characteristics of a person that determine his behavior and mental processes.

Temperament properties are converted into traits.

There are 4 main types of temperament:

. He is calm and rather stingy in expressing his feelings. Emotionally stable and balanced. Characterized by perseverance and perseverance.
. Impetuous, fast, passionate. His mood changes at great speed. He often gets carried away with something, but quickly burns out.
. A lively, hot person. His mood also changes often, but his psyche is stable. Easily puts up with troubles and failures.
. This is a person who is constantly worried, thinking about something. Very impressionable and easily wounded.

About the 4 types of human temperament in this video:

What characterizes a person as a person?

People are very multifaceted. And to characterize a person as a person it is best to use several signs at once:

temperament;
character;
capabilities;
motivation.
character.

Each of these features allows reveal a certain side of a person. Therefore, only their combination is capable of conveying all personality traits.

Find out about the positive character traits of a person from ours.

Classification and types of character traits

In psychology, there are two main approaches to the classification of character traits.

Character traits are directly related to mental processes; accordingly, they can be divided into:

Strong-willed. These include activity, determination, perseverance, organization, independence, self-control, perseverance and others.
Emotional. These include impressionability, responsiveness, impetuosity, indifference and others.
Intelligent. Here we can name curiosity, resourcefulness, intelligence, erudition, and so on.

Character traits are associated with personality orientation. Highlight:

What is personality? Scientific view:

Psychotypes - general characteristics

Human psychotypes also form emotional and psychological characteristics. They are laid down in the process of education and socialization of the individual.

Let us consider them in more detail in accordance with various classifications.

What are the different character types?

According to Jung

Jung proposed the following classification of character:

What are the negative character traits? you will find on our website.

According to Fromm

According to Fomm's classification, there are following types character:

According to Freud

Freud identifies the following types:

Oral. This includes people who talk a lot, constantly chew something, and smoke constantly.
Typical traits of this type include manipulativeness or passivity, admiration or envy, gullibility or suspicion, optimism or pessimism.
Anal. They are distinguished by neatness, accuracy, flexibility of thinking, and punctuality. They can also be called secretive, stubborn, aggressive.
Phallic. Their typical traits are elegance or simplicity, vanity or self-hatred.
Genital. Characterized by good mental health, efficiency, full adaptation and socialization.

According to Kretschmer

Psychologist Kretschmer associated character with a person’s physique. There are 3 types:

Asthenics. People with weak muscles, thin, with long legs and arms, and an elongated face. They do not adapt well to change, are stubborn and withdrawn.
Athletics. People with strong muscles, tall. They cannot tolerate change, are unimpressive and calm.
Picnics. People who tend to be overweight, short, and have expressionless facial features. They adapt well to change, actively express emotions, and are sociable.

Typology of character in psychology

In psychology, character is interpreted using a five-factor model. It includes the following factors:

Openness to new things. Reflects the attitude towards change, the search for new experiences. Inquisitive people score high on this characteristic active people, with unusual thinking.
Low scores for down-to-earth people with limited interests and stereotypical thinking.
Consciousness. Reflects the degree of education and motivation of a person. High scores for a purposeful, organized, reliable, neat person. People who are lazy, careless, and careless have low scores.
Extraversion. Reflects the degree of activity and intensity of interpersonal interactions. Extroverts score high - people are sociable, easy-going, quick-tempered and superficial. Introverts - thoughtful, reserved, serious people - score low.
Goodwill. Reflects a person's attitude towards others. A trusting, good-natured, generous person scores high. Irritable, suspicious, and rude people get low scores.
Neuroticism. Reflects emotional stability and a person’s adaptability to life. Restless, emotionally tense, and insecure people score high. Low scores - balanced, calm, self-confident people.

Human character and types of people: How to determine character by appearance?

General character traits can also be determined by the appearance of people: men and women. To do this, pay attention to the following:

Dressing style. It can express demonstrativeness, a desire to stand out, or, conversely, shyness and indecisiveness.
Accessories. If there are too many of them, then this may indicate expressiveness and vanity. Their absence can express the straightforwardness and simplicity of a person.
Gestures and facial expressions. Active gestures are characteristic of expressive people. Meager and hesitant gestures speak of a person’s uncertainty and tightness.

In psychology, there are many classifications that describe a person’s temperament and character. But it is rare to find pure types; usually a person is on the verge of several.

Determining a person's character by appearance:

Types of temperament according to Hippocrates- the oldest of psychological typologies. Phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholic - these words are familiar even to those who are very far from psychology. Meanwhile, in different times Many psychologists, psychiatrists and physiologists tried to create an assessment system of human characteristics. At the same time, each highlighted his own properties and characteristics of personality temperaments and, in accordance with this, emphasized different character traits.

For example, Carl Jung and Hans Eyseneck considered personality from the point of view of psychological attitude and divided people into introverts and extroverts, Ernst Kretschmer believed that character depends on physique and identified asthenics, athletes and picnics, and Aristotle considered 6 types that answer the questions “Who ?”, “What?”, “Why?”, “When?”, “How?” and where?". However, it is the Hippocratic teaching about the types of temperament that has remained for more than two millennia basic human typology. As you know, the ancient Greek doctor and healer identified 4 types of human temperament: sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. Let us consider the characteristics and traits of individuals belonging to different types, and how Hippocrates came to such a division of temperaments in general.

The concept of temperament according to Hippocrates

According to Hippocratic theory, temperament- these are features of human behavior associated with the predominance of one or another basic fluid (vital juice) in his body. Depending on this, according to the scientist, certain features were characteristic of the individual. The scientist believed that high concentration of lymph makes a person calm and balanced, yellow bile- unrestrained and impulsive, blood- cheerful and active, black bile- melancholic and sad. Based on this concept, we identified 4 types of temperament who are widely known to this day are phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholic.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Russian scientist Ivan Pavlov connected the types of temperament according to Hippocrates with general properties nervous processes and proved that every person has an innate type nervous system, weakly dependent on upbringing and the influence of others. By the physiological basis of each of the temperaments, he understood the type of higher nervous activity, which is determined by the ratio of balance, strength and mobility of inhibitory and excitatory processes. Thus, sanguine people, in his opinion, belong to the strong, mobile and balanced type, and melancholic people belong to the weak, with weak force processes of excitation and inhibition.

4 types of temperament: description and main features of phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine and melancholic

Let's give short description types of human temperament according to Hippocrates (you can find out more in the relevant articles).

It is almost impossible to meet a person with a “pure” type of temperament according to Hippocrates— each of us represents a certain mix of sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic and melancholic. As a rule, one of the types predominates, and the others, accordingly, are less pronounced, up to minimum values. If a person takes approximately 25% of each of the four types of temperament, then such a person is called tetravert(from Greek tetra - four).

Temperament and character

Often the concept "temperament" is identified with character. But the classification of whichever psychologist you consider is incorrect
point of view. Of course, there is a relationship between character and temperament, but these concepts do not mean the same thing. Thus, temperament is given to a person by nature and throughout life, if it changes, it is insignificant, but character is formed and transformed all the time. People with the same temperament can have completely different character, which is associated with the influence of society, upbringing, profession, interests, hobbies. And imagine how similar all people would be if we all had only 4 character types with minor differences.

Temperament: 4 types of human temperament

A person’s temperament can be called a kind of biological foundation on the basis of which the personality itself is formed. These are social properties of the psyche that determine the dynamics of mental activity, behavior and social adaptation of people.

Hippocrates is considered to be the founder of the doctrine of types of temperament. He argued that people are divided depending on the ratio of the four main substances of the body: black bile, yellow bile, phlegm and blood. Claudius Galen supported the idea of Hippocrates and wrote an entire scientific treatise called “Right Measure”. Claudius Galen identified four main types of human temperament. These are sanguine (blood), choleric (bile), phlegmatic (phlegm), melancholic (black bile).

Properties of temperament in psychology

Human temperament is based on a number of specific properties, such as:

Sensitivity. This is the degree of force of external influence necessary for a reaction to occur on the part of the psyche. Some people react calmly to external stimuli, others react violently;

Reactivity. The property of reactivity is determined by the level of involuntary reaction to internal or external influence (sharp sound, tone of voice);

Activity, relationship between activity and reactivity. These properties indicate how a person reacts to life's difficulties. Is he ready to overcome various obstacles in life, to be focused, persistent, attentive;

Rigidity and plasticity. These properties of temperament can indicate how skillfully a person can adapt to external influences of the social environment;

Reactive Activity Rate. They characterize the speed of mental processes and reactions to external stimuli;

Introversion and extroversion. These properties depend on the speed of human reactions and the speed of solutions applied;

Emotional excitability. Characterizes the degree of external influence on a person in the form of manifestations of signs of emotional arousal;

Choleric - characteristics of temperament: pros and cons

Cholerics have a strong-willed character.

Type of nervous system: unbalanced, unrestrained, overly mobile.

A choleric person takes on any difficult task, no matter how difficult it is. Such people are excellent speakers, they are eloquent and convincing in almost any dispute.

Choleric people are not vindictive, they quickly forget grievances and cannot hold within themselves for a long time a feeling of anger towards the offender.

Cholerics are excellent leaders; they can organize people and make difficult decisions for them. In a critical situation, a choleric person is able to group, repel the enemy, and protect a weak person.

The choleric person is not restrained in his statements in relation to current events, and can sometimes become rude.

Cholerics have a certain tendency to dominate other people. Often people with such temperaments are prone to rapid mood changes and excessive gesticulation.

In the love sphere, the choleric person is quite jealous, and for him the loved one becomes a kind of property. People with this type of temperament quickly fall in love and become attached to another person. Sometimes choleric people in relationships are prone to anger and scandals.

Choleric children are quite capricious and are often the center of attention in the family. A child can use his emotions to achieve the desired result. Such children are often capricious, show hyperactivity in adolescence, and may become interested in sports or music, but they quickly become bored with their hobbies.

Disadvantages of a choleric person

The main disadvantages of a choleric person include:

Excessive haste in your actions and actions;

Cholerics are not patient;

Excessive impulsiveness and imbalance;

Excessive straightforwardness and harshness when communicating with other people;

Aggression that occurs periodically;

Psychologists recommend that choleric people learn to work on themselves. This work should consist of the ability to control oneself in any conflict situations. Often choleric people make rash decisions and literally throw themselves into the pool headlong. The ten-second tactic suits them, which consists of mentally counting to ten before making an important decision or expressing an opinion.

Sanguine person - characteristics: pros and cons of sanguine person

Sanguine people are cheerful and incorrigible optimists. These people cannot sit still, they need constant movement.

Sanguine people are very active, and this activity manifests itself in literally all areas of a sanguine person’s life. They love to be the center of attention, but unlike choleric people, they do not have the habits of dictators.

The peculiarity of the psychological behavior of sanguine people is characterized by a high degree of excitability.

Sanguine people know how to get along with people and find a compromise in any difficult life situations. They are resourceful and enterprising. A sanguine person can literally lead a crowd, because these people are excellent speakers who know how to convince others that they are right.

Hyperactivity does not give a sanguine person the right to sit still. He tries to make his life brighter and more interesting. Such people love to travel, discovering more and more new facets of the world around them. Many artists, musicians, and actors are sanguine.

Psychological feature of a sanguine person

If we talk about the psychological component of sanguine people, then in these people the degree of excitement in the central nervous system is quite high. On the contrary, the inhibition threshold is low, and therefore sanguine people perceive the world in a somewhat illusory way. But at the same timethinkingand memory functions are remarkably developed. Often sanguine people focus their memory only on what arouses their interest. They can remember funny incidents, but at the same time forget the birthdays of their friends. Sanguine people pay attention to noticeable details, such as bright clothes or the unusual hairstyle of their interlocutor.

The emotional background of sanguine people is quite diverse. These people are emotional and are not afraid to show their experiences to others. They often gesture when talking, and may hug or kiss when meeting. These emotions are completely sincere; a sanguine person wants to please people and receive the same reaction from them in return. Sanguine people are different out-of-the-box thinking, they are constantly trying to learn something new, change their image or type of activity. Monotonous work and loneliness lead them to severe depression.

People with this type of temperament have a lot of friends. A sanguine person knows how to make friends, and always comes to a person’s aid in a difficult situation. In personal relationships, sanguine people are sometimes flighty. An excessive thirst for communication prevents them from building a strong family.

The main disadvantages of sanguine people:

Inconsistency in actions and deeds. A sanguine person often gets down to business, but rarely completes it; such people cannot work in monotonous work;

Sanguine people often overestimate themselves and their capabilities;

People with a similar temperament have mood swings, it is difficult for them to develop strong-willed qualities;

Psychologists recommend that sanguine people work more on their willpower. Pay attention to little things, learn to rely on your own strengths.

Phlegmatic - characteristics: pros and cons

A phlegmatic person is a balanced person who carefully thinks through his every step. Usually such people have an analytical mind and look at life around them soberly.

Phlegmatic people are quite lazy, often prefer not to be active and go with the flow. They are always calm and unperturbed. Even if they have experienced stress or an unpleasant life situation, they do not always show their temper.

It is difficult to anger a phlegmatic person; his nervous system is like a scale keeping balance. If it is difficult to bring him to simple emotions, then making him show activity or joy is even more difficult.

In other words, the phlegmatic type of human temperament is recognized as the most balanced and emotionally stable.

Phlegmatic people do not immediately make contact with people; they need time to assess the situation. A sudden change in the environment is like a tragedy for them and it is very difficult to bear. These people do not like active entertainment, they like a cozy home environment, and often prefer to spend time alone with themselves.

Phlegmatic people are painstaking and diligent in their work, they have a good memory and can remember large amounts of information.

Phlegmatic people are rather closed and hidden; they are reluctant to show sympathy for another person. But if a phlegmatic person likes a representative of the opposite sex, then he will do everything to achieve his favor.

It is quite difficult to find friends with a phlegmatic person; he does not make contact well. But if a person with this type of temperament finds a friend, then this friendship can last a lifetime. For phlegmatic people, family is a kind of fortress in which they feel comfortable. Such people get married late and may spend a long time searching for a partner.

The main disadvantages of phlegmatic people:

They are often not receptive, do not take initiatives, and react poorly to external stimuli;

They may be stingy with emotions, slow to get involved in work, and have poor contact with people around them;

Difficulty adapting when changing living conditions;

Psychologists recommend that phlegmatic people be active people and avoid lethargy and laziness.

Melancholic - characteristics: pros and cons of melancholic

Melancholic people are prone to attacks of despair and depression. The temperament of such people is sluggish and pessimistic. Any event, even a minor one, makes a melancholic person worry. He does not know how to enjoy life, and sees it exclusively in a negative tone. Sadness and melancholy can cover such a person for no reason; melancholic people often experience a feeling of self-pity.

People with this type of temperament have to resort to secrecy and suppression of emotions. They experience everything within themselves, which is why depressive mental states appear. Psychologists note that a huge number of people who commit suicide are melancholic.

A melancholic person reacts slowly to external stimuli, does not remember information well, and often suffers from a lot of complexes and an excessively low level of personal self-esteem. Motor activity is sluggish and inexpressive.

Melancholic people cannot work intensively and monotonously, as they necessarily need rest or short breaks to stabilize psychological state. In a social environment, such people are lethargic, uncommunicative, and it is difficult for them to find a soul mate or a close friend. It is difficult for them to be active and cheerful. They choose sanguine or choleric people as people, since this choice is explained by the melancholic’s subconscious desire to be taken care of.

It can be difficult for melancholic people to arrange their personal life. Often a big role in the fiasco of love relationships is played by their indecision and cowardice. They choose a strong person as their life partner. There are also advantages to this type of temperament.

Melancholic people are kind, vulnerable, and will always share the last thing they have. They subconsciously want to help a person in need.

Disadvantages of melancholic people:

Emotional instability, indecisiveness, lack of self-confidence and strength;

Difficulty with the perception of the surrounding world, vulnerability, pessimism;

Tendency to depressive mental states;

Psychologists strongly recommend that melancholic people not close themselves off. Try to explore the world, travel, communicate with new people. You can try mentoring to improve your personal self-esteem. Get busy active species sports, dancing, any creativity. A melancholic person needs to be close to loved ones and friends, and not withdraw into himself and his feelings.

The very first ideas about temperaments belong to Hippocrates. The ancient Greek philosopher and physician classified people according to the fluid that predominated in them. Sanguine - blood, choleric - bile, phlegmatic - mucus, melancholic - black bile. Modern representations about temperaments have changed somewhat, although the names have remained the same. What is temperament and what role does it play in a person’s life? Let's figure it out.

Temperament is based on the type of higher nervous system. People (like animals) differ from each other from birth:

by the strength of the processes of excitation and inhibition;
the balance of these processes;
mobility (changeability) of excitation and inhibition processes.

Taken together, this determines the endurance of nerve cells, that is, the endurance of the psyche.

Discovery of temperament

When excitation predominates over inhibition, conditioned reflexes are formed quickly and slowly subside, and when the ratio is reversed, conditioned reflexes are formed slowly and quickly fade away. These patterns were discovered by the domestic scientist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov.

This discovery made an invaluable contribution to the further development of psychology and pedagogy. Currently, there is no doubt that each person requires an individual approach in the process of upbringing, training or psychological correction.

Temperament and personality

Temperament is a set of innate mental properties. It serves as the basis for character formation. This is what is biological in a person.

At the same time, temperament is involved in. As a totality individual characteristics it affects the dynamics and emotional side and behavior of a person.

Depends on temperament:

speed of occurrence of mental activity;
stability of mental processes;
mental tempo and rhythm;
intensity of mental processes;
direction of mental activity.

Anxiety, impulsiveness, emotionality, impressionability and other properties depend on temperament.

Temperament and character

Temperament is often confused with. I propose to put an end to the differentiation of these issues once and for all.

If character is a product of socialization, then temperament is an innate, unchangeable feature of an individual.
You cannot change your temperament, but you can learn to manage it. Character can be changed.
Temperament traits can be masked by personality traits, making it difficult to determine what type of temperament a particular person belongs to.

Temperament and activity

Temperament provides an individual style of activity, that is, work methods characteristic of a particular person. So, for example, one child, when solving a problem, can sit idle for a long time, think about it and immediately write down the result, while another will immediately start writing something down, sketching it out, crossing it out, and after a while will isolate the main thing from it. Same result - different ways to achieve it.

Properties of temperament

Each temperament has certain properties.

Sensitivity

This implies the necessary minimum force of external stimulation to initiate reactions in the individual’s psyche. In addition, sensitivity involves assessing the speed of this reaction.

Reactivity

Determines the strength and speed of response to an unexpected stimulus, that is, these are involuntary reactions to light, loud sound, unexpected action. A person’s distractibility and ability to concentrate depend on reactivity.

Activity (passivity)

The degree of influence of temperament on the stimuli surrounding it. Simply put, this is the speed with which a person can influence the circumstances and obstacles that prevent him from achieving his goal. Activity stems from the relationship between a person’s orientation to the outside world (previous point) and focus on one’s goals, desires, needs, and beliefs.

Plasticity (rigidity)

This characterizes the speed of a person’s adaptation to changes in the external environment. Plasticity is a good ability to adapt, rigidity is the impossibility, difficulty in changing beliefs, views, interests.

Extraversion (introversion)

A person’s orientation towards the external or internal world (direction of vital energy). The second interpretation: a person’s orientation towards the external present () or figurative past or future ().

Excitability of emotions

Determines the speed of emotional response to a minimal external stimulus (the minimal force to which an emotional reaction occurs).

Rate of reactions

This is the speed of mental processes and reactions (duration): speed of reaction, rate of speech, speed of mind.

The properties of temperament manifest themselves depending on the situation and specific conditions. Therefore, people of different temperaments can act completely differently in identical situations, but in the same way under different conditions.

Temperament types

In psychology, it is customary to distinguish 4 types of temperament, or types of the nervous system (according to its properties). But at the same time, there are several typologies.

According to the processes of excitation-inhibition

Sanguine

This is a strong, agile and balanced type. It is characterized by a rapid process of excitation and its rapid change to inhibition.

A person with this type of psyche is characterized by love of life, activity, sociability, and responsiveness.
He is not prone to worry, easily adapts to new conditions, and strives for leadership.
A sanguine person is successful in work, friendship and love.
He easily switches from one activity to another and changes hobbies with the same ease.
However, without external stimuli he begins to get bored and becomes lethargic.
He is always distinguished by some superficiality in his perception of people and phenomena, which sometimes causes difficulties in interpersonal relationships. But a sanguine person can easily cope with them.
Sanguine people are bright, but unstable.
Laughs often and loudly, but gets angry over trifles.
Resourceful and agile, can manage emotions.
As a rule, he has fast speech.

Phlegmatic person

This is a strong, inert and balanced type. Conditioned reflexes are developed slowly, but then become very stable.

A person with this type is always passive, cautious and reasonable. Sometimes it comes to the point of “tediousness and nausea.”
At the same time, he is peaceful and friendly.
It is easy to manage and control its actions.
A phlegmatic person is not emotional or sensitive, but you can always rely on him.
He has great perseverance, self-control, patience, high efficiency, but is slow.
Stable in relationships, not prone to change.
Provides good resistance to negative long-term stimuli from the outside. The self-control and composure characteristic of a phlegmatic person sometimes turns into indifference to oneself, others, and work.

Choleric

Strong, agile and unbalanced type. Excitation processes prevail over inhibition processes.

Easily excitable, aggressive and restless type.
Choleric is characterized by variability, inconstancy, impulsiveness, activity and optimism.
Along with great vital energy, one can distinguish incontinence and abruptness of movements and actions, loudness, low level self-control, impatience and frequent mood swings.
A choleric person is distinguished by expressive facial expressions, fast speech and rapid movements.

Melancholic

Weak, inert (or mobile) and unbalanced type.

Characterized by a pessimistic attitude, a tendency to anxiety and reasoning.
He is reserved and uncommunicative, easily vulnerable, emotional, and highly sensitive.
Shows little resistance to external stimuli, is inhibited and passive.
A melancholic person, as a rule, is not self-confident, timid, timid, and touchy.
But he smells very bad inner world and associative thinking.
A melancholic person is not distinguished by expressive facial expressions and movements, and does not adapt well to new conditions.
Characterized by quiet speech, poor attention and fatigue.

Galen's typology

The Roman philosopher and physician Galen also identified 4 types of temperament, but he focused on feelings. This typology does not contradict the others, on the contrary, it complements them and, in my opinion, is of particular interest from the position of everyday psychology.

Sanguine

Pliable to feelings, but quickly cools down. Strives for pleasure, a trusting and gullible person.

Choleric

A man of passions. He is characterized by pride, vindictiveness and ambition.

Phlegmatic person

Resistant to the influences of feelings. Doesn't complain or be indignant, gets irritated with great difficulty.

Melancholic

Sadness is his main characteristic. Any suffering seems unbearable, and desires are saturated with sadness. He often thinks that he is being neglected and is offended by small things.

According to the ratio of signaling systems

The signal system is usually called a set of mental processes responsible for perception, analysis of information and response. A person has two such systems:

the first signaling system (the assimilation of information through the activity of the cerebral cortex, through receptors);
second signaling system (everything related to speech and words).

Based on the relationship between signaling systems, 3 types of people (temperaments) can be distinguished.

Artist

The first signaling system predominates.

Thinker

The second signaling system predominates.

Mixed type

Approximately equal influence of both systems.

This classification is considered relative, since the severity of the systems depends on specific type activities.

Constitutional theory of E. Kretschmer

The German psychiatrist and psychologist Kretschmer compiled a typology of temperaments depending on a person’s physique.

Schizothymic (asthenic type)

A weak-willed and withdrawn type, prone to emotional swings. A gentleman and a dreamer, an idealist. At the same time, the schizothymic person is stubborn and selfish, prone to abstract thoughts.

Cyclothymic (pyknic type)

Like the first type, it is distinguished by emotional waves. He is a cheerful chatterbox and humorist, a realist, and a good conversationalist.

Ixothymic (athletic type)

He is not flexible in thought, calm and unimpressive. His gestures and facial expressions are restrained. Ixothymic has difficulty adapting to new conditions.

By observing a person’s behavior and assessing his physique, we can guess what type of temperament he belongs to. This will be useful for establishing contact.

Definition of temperament and brief instructions for interaction

You can guess the temperament of your interlocutor based on observations of him, but this is an ambiguous and complex method. Currently, there are many accurate methods for diagnosis and self-diagnosis.

Eysenck test. The most popular technique that determines the type of temperament on two scales: stable and unstable, introversion and extroversion. Allows you to determine the severity of each type and the nature of mixed temperament. Suitable for self-diagnosis.
Another popular technique is the Belov formula. This questionnaire is smaller than the previous one, characterizes only temperaments (without scales), but also gives the value and percentage of each type in a person.

Determining temperament is the first stage, but far from the main one. Much more important is the ability to understand the person opposite and interact with him competently, taking into account his innate characteristics.

Interaction with a choleric person

Remember that not everything that a choleric person says is really true. It's just that his speech is ahead of his thoughts.
The conditions and specific emotions of the choleric person at the moment are to blame. Under other conditions, he may say the opposite.
If, in a fit of anger, a choleric person said something unpleasant, this does not mean at all that he really has a bad opinion of you.
In a relationship with a choleric person, you should be lenient, not take everything to heart, take into account situations that are individually dangerous for him and avoid them.
Remember that choleric people do not get hung up on quarrels and conflicts (especially random and momentary ones), they actually forget them and never return to discussions.
Do not put pressure on the choleric person, especially in work matters.
Instead, give yourself a break and provide support.

Interaction with a sanguine person

Communication is the air for a sanguine person. It’s worth getting used to and accepting the fact that there are always a lot of people around him. People are drawn to a sanguine person, and he is drawn to them.
It seems that it is impossible to argue with him, but this is not so. Despite their optimism and friendliness, sanguine people are rich in “cockroaches”.
Due to the superficiality of their judgments, sanguine people often make the wrong conclusions. But they cannot be superficial. Remember this and give them a second chance.
It is difficult for a sanguine person to admit his mistakes; he does not know how to do this. That's why you shouldn't wait for it.
Face - instructions for a sanguine person. The case when everything is really written on the face. Be observant, and the facial expressions of a sanguine person will tell you everything: what a person thinks, what is pleasant to him, what is unpleasant, and so on.
Constantly feed it with impressions and events. With monotony and the same type of sensations, a sanguine person gets bored and may leave the relationship. But they become attached to those who always give them new emotions, sensations and conditions of reality for a long time.
Sanguine people like it when they are asked for advice or asked for their opinion.
Reason with him, solve problems, make plans.
Don't neglect extreme sports and adrenaline.

Interaction with a melancholic person

Avoid loud and sharp sounds and screams.
Do not resort to a negative assessment of the melancholic person and what is dear to him.
Avoid criticism, punishment, and reproach. If necessary, choose soft, non-accusatory forms.
It’s easy to get close to a melancholic person - you need to induce self-pity, tell sad story, evoke and show sympathy.
Avoid extreme situations and entertainment.
Preference should be given to warm, sincere conversations.
When it comes to films, a melancholic person will prefer drama to horror and thrillers.
Never say “urgently”, don’t push, don’t demand, don’t order. This drives the melancholic person into a stupor, he begins to frantically make the wrong movements, panics, and does not understand anything.
In detailed work that requires focus and attention, a melancholic person is an excellent candidate.
A melancholic person should be introduced to new people gradually and carefully. Don’t “throw him into the hole with all his might.”
Melancholic people have well-developed intuition, they rarely make mistakes.

Interaction with a phlegmatic person

You can recognize a phlegmatic person only through communication, but you need to pull everything out with pincers.
Phlegmatic people are conservatives, so you shouldn’t demand that they quickly get used to and accept something new.
In new situations or after a non-standard proposal, give the phlegmatic person enough time to think.
Don’t expect efficiency and speed in other matters either. A person interacting with a phlegmatic person must be able to wait and be patient.
Don't expect sympathy or other emotional responses, especially momentarily.
But this does not mean that they are completely indifferent and do not experience emotions. A phlegmatic person may worry about you, but it is difficult for him to squeeze out words or gestures; he would rather silently do something useful for you.
By the way, they expect the same sympathy from others: support in deeds, not in words.
If you want to win the favor of a phlegmatic person, then you need to be realistic, avoid fantasies, demonstrate logic and prudence, equanimity and rationality.
Entertainment, holidays, creativity, and conversations do not attract a phlegmatic person. The matter is important to him.
The second thing that attracts me is clear, practical, understandable speech. It is recommended to avoid imagery and slang when communicating with a phlegmatic person.
It is better to write out all requests or tasks for a phlegmatic person on paper, writing them down as clear instructions.

There are no bad or good temperaments, find mutual language It’s possible with any person, however, provided that your temperaments match.

For example, a choleric person is incompatible with a sanguine person. These are two leaders.
Neither a choleric person nor a melancholic person can get along. One does not intentionally, but constantly offends, the other is offensive in itself.
Choleric and phlegmatic are the best option.
A sanguine person and a phlegmatic person will often quarrel, but at the same time they can resolve these conflicts. However, dissatisfaction with each other will increase.
A sanguine person will be suited to his opposite - a melancholic person. Moreover, it is ideal if the sanguine person is a man.

I would like to introduce you, dear friends, to some interesting facts about temperaments.

Happy married couples come from people with different temperaments.
For friendship, on the contrary, it is important that the temperaments are the same (except for choleric people).
Phlegmatic people are universal partners in any relationship, but not with phlegmatic people.
Sanguine people make excellent leaders. A choleric or phlegmatic person is completely unsuitable for such a role.
Job descriptions and other information must be submitted to different shapes for every type of temperament.
The phlegmatic person is slow to respond to questions.
A sanguine person because of haste, and a choleric person because of impetuosity is prone to rash and incorrect answers.
You need to ask a melancholic person gently and kindly.
The specificity of people’s speech and the nature of information transfer depend on temperament. The same picture from words different types we can imagine in completely different ways.

It is worth noting that in practice pure types of temperament are rarely found; mixed ones are more common. This makes it even more difficult to determine temperament and choose an approach to interacting with a person.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the compatibility of people in temperament, or at least understanding the characteristics of another person, is important for any area of relationships (family, professional, friendly). We often hear the phrase “We didn’t get along in character,” but in fact it would be more correct to say “We didn’t get along in temperament.” And this really can happen.